Separating mineral substances by the selective action of oil.



No. 689,070. Patented Dec. I7, IQIDI. A. S. ELMOBE. SEPARATING MINERALSUBSTANCES BY THE SELEUTIVE ACTION OF OIL.

(Application filed Apr. 13, 1901.)

(No Model.)

, did/9V v Miaizaf'ef UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER STANLEY ELMORE, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

SEPARATING DMIINERAL SUBSTANCES BY THE snrcnvr ACTION OF on.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 689,070, dated December17, 190i. Application filed April 13, 1901. Serial No. 55,776- (Nospecimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER STANLEY ELMORE, a citizen of England,residing at 4: Bishopsgate street Within, London, England, have inventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Separating Mineral Substances bythe Selective Action of Oil, (for which I have applied for a patent inGreat Britain, 'dat'edMarch 28, 1901, No. 6,519,) of which the followingis a specification.

The selective action of oil has been utilized for separating metallicsubstances from earthy or rocky constituents of ores. This has generallybeen done by pulverizing the ore and suspending it in a considerablequantity of water, so as to make a freely-flowing pulp, then minglingwith it oil, preferably heavy oil, such as is obtained from petroleumafter some of the lighter oils have been distilled fromit. When themixture rests, the

, oil, with most of the metallic substances entrapped in it, floats atthe top and is separated from the rockyIor earthy matters, which are run.off with the water as tailings. The oil is afterward separated from themetallic substances, usually by centrifugal action. In carrying on thisseparating process I have discovered that in some cases a slightacidulation of the mixture greatly enhances the selective action of theoil, so that metallic substances,

as well as other mineral substances, such as sulfur and plumbago, can beseparated from the earthy matters with which they are nat:

urall'y associated better than when there is no acid present. B y thismeans some metallic substances can be separated from otherssuch, forinstance,as snlfids from oxide. The acidulation may be efiected eitherby adding a little acid to the oil, in which case an acid that willdissolve in or mix readily with the oil, but which is insoluble, ornearly so, in wator-as, for instance, oleic acid- -'is to be preferred,or the acid may be added to the aqueous pulp, in which case sulf uricacid may be employed or the acid cnprous liquors obtained in mineworking. The quantity of acid added in eithercase is small, as it oftenneed not exceed one five-hundredth part of the volume of oil or wateremployed in the operation. The quantity of acid required to produce thebest result varies, according to the character of the material treated,and I I therefore do not confine myself to any definite proportion.

An apparatus by which my process can be carried out in practice andwhich forms the subject of a pending application for Letters Patentfiled the 8th day of August, 1901, Se-' from a pipe E, provided with aregulatingvalve, and a small quantity of acid from a pipe Q, alsoprovided with a regulating-valve. The oil and acid are mixed with thepulp by the rotating heater 0. The oil by its selective action coats orabsorbs the metallic particles, sulfids, the tellurids, and the like. Ifplnmbago,oelementary sulfur, or other sub stances of like character arepresent, the oil attaches itself to or coats such particles, while itdoes not coat or attach. itself to the rocky or earthy particlespresent. The liquid mineral pulp, oil, and acid are caused to travelalong the mixer A and become thoroughly mixed. This mixture issues by anopening F into a subsidence-tank G, which has in its upper part apartition H, extending down a little below the level of an outlet-pipeI. In the tank G a separation takes place of the metallic from the rockyor earthy ingredients of the mixture, the metallic ingredients adheringto the oil and by it floated to the top on the left side of thepartition H, while the earthy and rocky ingredients subside and areallowed to issue through a pipe .I, provided with a regulating-cock. Themetallic ingredients, with the oil and acid, are discharged by the pipe1 into the drum Kiof a centrifugal machine which revolves rapidly inacasing L. The drum has an inwardly-projecting flange M'at its upperedge. As the dr'umrevolves the metallic matters, owing to their density,accumulate in an annular layer at and acid collectinside and flow overthe flange M into the casing L,w.hence they are conducted away through apipe N. From time to time the revolution of the drum is stopped and themetallic matter removed.

Having thus described the nature of this invention and the best means Iknow of carrying the same into practical elfect, I claim The process forseparating metallic and rocky constituents of ore which consists inmixing pulverized ore with water and mixing the ore and water with oilin the presence of an acid, allowing the mixture to rest whereby the oilhaving the metallic substances entrapped in it floats at the top of themixture, and separating the metallic constituents from the oil,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing wit- 'nesses.

